The field of the disclosure relates generally to airfoils and, more particularly, to airfoils including a body portion and a tip portion coupled to the body portion.
At least some known airfoils include a tip portion and a body portion. Under at least some operating conditions, the tip portion and the body portion experience different loads. Accordingly, in at least some known airfoils, the tip portion and the body portion are assembled separately and are configured to withstand different loads and different temperatures. For example, in at least some known airfoils, the body portion is formed in an open-tip or tipless casting process and the tip portion is coupled to the body portion after the body portion is formed. However, coupling the tip portion to the body portion requires that the tip portion be precisely aligned on the body portion. For at least some known airfoils, the alignment process requires specialized equipment. For example, to assemble at least some known airfoils, the tip portion is positioned on the body portion and clamped in position. If the tip portion and the body portion are misaligned, the airfoil has an increased risk of failure during its service life.